Automatic gate for railroads



(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 1. H. WBTTMARSHAUSEN. AUTOMATIC GATE POR RAILROADS.

Patented Oct. 12,1897.

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H. WETTMARsHAU-SEN. AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROADS.

No; 591,441. Patented Oct. 12,1897.

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UNITED I STATES PATENT EEicE.

HENRY WETTMARSHAUSEN, OF PETRI STATION, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROADSA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,441, dated October 12, 189'?.

Application iiled December '31, 1896. Serial No. 617,572. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WETTMARs- HAUSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petri Station, in the county of Hancock and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gates for Railroads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappert-ains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to a novel construction in railway-gates, the object being to provide a device o f this character that will be opened and closed by the passage of a train in either direction.

The invention consists in the features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

Verating-carriage.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of the gate and its operating mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the gate and its track. Fig. 4:' is a perspective of one of the operating-carriages. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device upon the locomotive to operate the carriage. transverse section of the gate and track; and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View of the gate, operating-carriages, and cables.

Referring now to said drawings, I indicates the railroad-track, 2 the gate, and 3 the op- The gate consists of an ordinary gate mounted upon a platform 4, said gate being provided with upright wheels 5 and depending horizontal wheels 6. The track 7 for said gate consists of a bed upon which the wheels 5 travel, which bed is provided with longitudinal slots 8 and 9. The depending posts carrying the horizontal wheels 6 extend through the slots S, and these wheels' 6 are situated to engage the upright faces 10 on the bottom of the platform 4. The slot 9 is in the'center of the platform and made so thatthe cable which operates the gate may be run therein. At each end of the platform is a post Il to limit the movement of the gate.

The devices for operating said gate are constructedin the following manner: These devices, or what I call the operating-carriages,

o track l2.

a laterally-extending arm I3, which projects Fig. 6 is a verticalv are situated beyond each end of the gate, and since they are similar in construction a description of one will suffice. The operatingcarriage is provided'with wheels or rollers, so that it may travel back and forth upon a -The Vsaid carriage is provided with a suitable distance, so that the carriage will be moved in either direction by the passing of the locomotive. The movement of the carriage 'in opposite directions is limited by the upright posts l5, that are situated in the path of the lateral arm I3 in the manner shown. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and '7, a cable 14 is connected with the operating-carriage, and

its ends are connected with opposite ends of the gate, being trained around pulleys in the manner shown, so that when the carriage is moved the cable is drawn to move the gate in either direction.

In constructing this gate and its operating devices the latter are placed a suitable distance down the track on either side of the gate, so that the gate may be operated a little time before the passage of the train, and in this case the cables 14 extend to suitable distances in the usual manner. is useful to employ an automatic alarm situated some distance beyond the gates, and this automatic alarm sounds and notifies pedestrians and drivers that the gate is about to be closed. For operating this gate any suitable spring arm or projection uponthe locomotive can be employed, situated in such a manner that it strikes the arms 13 of the operating carriages. In Fig. 5 of the drawings I have shown a construction to accomplish this consisting of an upright spring 15, depending from an outwardly-projecting frame 16 on the locomotive, said frame being pivoted in an upright manner and having astop 17 to prevent it from passing beyond a position at right angles to the side of the locomotive, while it may be swung forwardly to lie near against the locomotive, which is useful in passing through tunnels. In operation as the locomotive moves forward the lower end of the spring-arm l5 strikes the outer end of the arm 13 of the carriage and thus moves the carriage, and when the movement of the car- In this connection it IOO riage is arrested by the upright posts 18 the spring-arm 15 bends andpasses over the arm- 13 in an obvious manner.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the use of a gate of this construction will efeetually prevent accidents at railroad-crossings, and, further, that the gate is always in position to be operated', it being noted that the carriages move oppositely in the manner described.

To prevent clogging up ofthe slots or tracks, the said gate is provided with suitable shovels or scrapers 19 to remove ice, dirt, rocks, the., that may find their way upon the trac-ks or in the slots.

Having thus described my inventi0n,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railroad-gate, the combination with two operating carriages connected with a gate to move said gate in oppositedireetions, a track upon which said gate travels, posts at the opposite ends of said track, and horizontal wheels depending from said gate and situated beneath said track, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-gate, the combination with lsite sides of said arms, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-gate, a movable gate mountied upon a suitable platform and provided with horizontal and upright Wheels at opposite ends thereof, movable carriages situated ybeyond the ends of said gate, eableseonnected lwith said carriages and with said gate in a manner to cause said gate to move in opposite directions as said operating-carriages are moved toward or away from said gate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY XVETTMARSIIAUSEN.

Witnesses:

J AMES F. CHAMBERs, S. E. AYREs. 

